


Shut Up

by MeticulousHand



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Blood, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4403285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeticulousHand/pseuds/MeticulousHand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How did the RED Sniper and BLU Medic get in this mess?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sutures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PocketedDoll](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketedDoll/gifts).



> I really wrote this short fic for galactipr1nce on Tumblr mainly because he's so very precious and sweet and I love him to bits and pieces.
> 
> I do plan on making this at least two or three chapters but who knows! I sure don't.

A war raged on in the middle of the desert. The sun made the gravel and sand so hot, it could be felt through the soles of these mercenaries' shoes. The RED team was on a winning streak and this was the last round. The Administrator's voice boomed down in the base to alert everyone how much time they had left before the day was over. Thank God it was. Though the sun had started to set, it didn't seem like the heat would let up. All the way in his nest was the RED Sniper who was popping heads left and right. Besides the enemy Spy attacking him earlier, no one else had really bothered the lanky man all day. A rather relaxing day, really. The heat burned the back of his neck and made his throat dry. He'd reach for some water, but he didn't want to take the risk of missing any of the enemies to allow them to push through their defenses.

After their team claimed victory on that day, the RED Sniper had hopped down from his nest to go back to his van once he saw most of his team head back to base but he stopped when he saw a moving figure leaning behind a building. Of course, the Australian was curious as to who or what it was so he approached it. Lied there was a Medic. The BLU Medic, to be more precise. He was clutching at an open wound around his abdomen. He was clenching his teeth and sweat dripped from his forehead as he breathed hard and shakily. The Sniper looked him over quietly, watching the German suffer as he thought about what he could or should do. 

"What a fine bloody mess you are, Nurse. Red looks better on you if I do say so m'self."

Startled, the Doctor looked up as he finally took notice of the RED Sniper. He stifled a soft sound of panic and clutched to his wound tighter.

"Y'know If you're really into that color, I wouldn't mind helpin' you coverin' every inch of your white coat in red." He teased, pulling out his kukri and playing with it a bit in his hand as he knelt down in front of him.

The BLU Medic glowered at the taller man through crooked frames. He was defenseless and dying. He knew he was probably going to bleed out here since his medigun was destroyed after he was blown to this side of the field but he didn't want to be teased and humiliated by this Sniper. Normally, he wouldn't really mind it but today's battle was over. He wasn't even sure if respawn was still turned on and it didn't look like anyone has noticed his disappearance yet. This wasn't how he wanted to go out.

"Not answerin'? I'll take that as a yes."

"Bitte... P-Please" The doctor finally sputtered out. He let go of his wound to put his hands in front of him, one glove more bloodied than the other. The wound was terrible. Several deep lacerations and rips that were most likely caused by a grenade going off or a rocket landing too close to the BLU Medic, allowing shrapnel to pierce through his flesh.

"I know it's your job... Your job to kill the enemy.. But I don't want to die here, not like this. I don't even think respawn is still powered up at the moment... Bitte.. Just let me go..."

If anything annoyed the Aussie more than snarky Spies, it was people who begged for their life. There was a reason why he keeps himself as far away from targets as possible. It made him lose his patience. But he did listen to his enemy's plea. He does have a point. He doesn't even know why it should matter to him so much to let him go by god, he's the enemy! They could replace him, why should he care? He was silent as he thought about what he should do. The Medic was a mess. He was sweating, his cheeks were stained with tears, his eyes were red, he was covered in blood, and dying; a total disaster. This man wanted to live. He didn't even know who he really is besides the fact he was a BLU but he soon found himself unable to go on with his original plan, falling in the hands of sympathy.

He didn't know why he couldn't kill him, he kills people all the time every day! Maybe it was the way this man had looked at him with those pleading eyes and pathetic look. He'd never seen anyone look at him like that before and he just couldn't muster the ability to end his life right then and there and have it over with so he can go back on his merry way. The Sniper lolled his head to the side and under his breath he swore and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he was doing this and he didn't even know why he was doing this. It felt somewhat like a siren to a sailor scenario: Someone attracting someone else just to get something out of them. For all the Sniper knew, this was not going to end well and he just couldn't stop himself. He must have been getting soft.

"Okay look, fine. Let's just go, yeah? I'm sick of sittin' here in the heat."

And without a fair warning, he picked up the enemy Medic bridal-style, the only way he believed wouldn't rupture the wound any worse. The Doctor let out a simple, sudden yelp as he was suddenly picked up from surprise and another twinge of pain striking him when he was moved. 

"Wait w-wait! Where are you taking me?! Put me down, now! Schnell!"

"Stop your yapper, I'm takin' you back to my camper. Certainly can't take you to RED base and I ain't steppin' foot on BLU. You know what would happen if I did any of those and what, what could you do? I set you down and leave and let you to die here? You just begged me not to let you die. Make up your mind before I decide for you."

The German shut up very quickly and slung one arm over his shoulder while the other went under the Australian's arm to hold himself around his back and help support him up more in the Sniper's hold. He didn't even think the Sniper would help him less save him from certain death. What could he even do in his van that would help him?

xxx

As they reached the van, The Sniper carefully reached out for the door handle, not wanting to drop the Doctor in the process and as he opened it, he used his foot to kick it wide open. The van was small and mostly allowed three or maybe four people to be in at once. He laid the Medic down on his messy bed and walked away for a moment to take off his hat, aviators, and vest. 

"I'll be with you in a second, Nurse. I'm.. Heh, preppin' up for surgery I suppose."

The joke left a sour taste in the Medic's mouth but he tried to sit up. Was the Sniper even sure what he was doing? The Australian came back with what looked like a first-aid kit. He laid it on the bedside and moved the doctor up on the bed more so he would be sitting up. The Sniper ran a hand through his own un-kempt hair and shook his head, sighing.

"I can't believe I'm doin' this. Y'know when this is all over, you can NOT tell anyone what I did else I'm goin' to be in deep shit and I'm takin' you down with me."

The Doctor shakily nodded but he put a hand out to the enemy.

"Look, I can sew myself up if you just give me the tools."

"Yeah but you lost too much blood. Is your hand even steady enough? Hold a hand out in front of yourself 'n show me."

The Doctor scrunched his nose in disbelief. Was he really asking if he was capable of doing something that he does nearly everyday? Stitching? Just to prove it to him, he put his hands out in front of him but it turned out he was right. He couldn't even keep them straight.

"That's what I thought. Just let me do this. I'll try to make it as quick and painless as possible, I swear."

The BLU Medic sighed and rested his head back. A way to express to his "hero" that he was relaxed as possible and ready. However, he kept his eyes on him. He wanted to see if he actually knew what he was doing. The first thing that the RED Sniper did was pull out a clean cloth to dab at the wounds and stop some of the bleeding. Next, he pulled out what looked like a bottle of vodka, uncorking it with his mouth. 

"I ain't got any actual medicine to disinfect your wound so I hope you don't mind me dousin' you with this stuff. As you know, it's goin' to sting like hell."

The Doctor remained silent but he did respond by tensing up as he waited for the alcohol to make contact with his wounds. It's better than nothing, that's for sure. The Australian poured a quarter of the bottle onto his lacerations which the Doctor reacted by biting his lower lip and wincing in pain. 

"Well, that stuff sure was... Potent." The German commented.

The Sniper made a slight hum in response as he reached out for a pair of tweezers.

"I guess now I'm just goin' to look through your wounds and see if you've got any shrapnel stuff in you before I sew you close, Nurse."

"Wait, aren't you going to wash your hands first?"

"Look, I'm trying to help you stop dyin' and you're complaining about my hands. I already washed my hands and you shouldn't be fussin' over this anyway. After tonight, you're headin' back to your base anyway, aren't you? When you get back, you can fix the rest of yourself with your medigun. No need to be so nit-picky."

The BLU Medic grumbled but he did have a point. He sighed and nodded at him so he could continue with what he was doing.

He picked out several pieces of metal out of the gaping wounds and placed them in a tray for now. When he finished, he picked up a needle driver and clenched it open and closed to make sure it was still working. Whenever it closed, it made a slight crunching noise. Next, he picked up the needle with the thread attached to it, carefully pinching the middle of the needle with the tool. 

"Ready when you are, Nurse."

The Doctor kind of rolled his eyes but he nodded his head to tell him to go for it. With his interest piqued, he watched the RED Sniper go to work. It was becoming a little difficult to keep his eyes focused due to the major blood loss he endured, but he really wanted to see how efficient his suturing skill was. He was very impressed, to say the least. His hands were steady and his suturing was precise and efficient. Medic could feel himself mentally slapping himself. Why he thought he would do a terrible job, he wasn't sure. For god's sake, he was a sniper! Snipers train their eyes to be sharp and their body to be steady and still. His hands were calloused and bigger than his but never had he seen someone work with a needle so eloquently and with such grace. 

How his digits curled around the needle driver and how swiftly he pierced his flesh to suture his wounds closed was actually very breathtaking to him. When he finished, the Doctor was rather enamored with the stitching on his own body. Shakily, he raised one of his hands and grazed over the closed wound to feel it. Though it was hard to stay conscious and keep his eyes open, they seemed to light up. The Australian waved a hand in front of the Medic and when that didn't catch his attention that time, he snapped his fingers next to his ear.

"Aye, you there, mate? Stop touchin' my handiwork unless you want it to rupture." He said, taking his wrist in his hand and setting it to his side.

"I'm takin' your shoes off and gettin' you somethin' to drink. I might have some pain relievers somewhere around here so if I have any of those, I can give you that and you can rest."

"....Danke."

The Sniper put the kit away and moved to the end of the bed, taking off the German's boots and placing them off to the side of the bed along with his socks. He would have suggested in dressing him in something more comfortable, but he didn't want to jostle his body too much so the most he'd do was take off his coat, gloves, shoes and socks. Once those were taken off, the Australian went over to his fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of water. He brought it over to the German and popped it open, guiding it over to his lips. 

"Slow 'n easy sips, Nurse."

The Medic parted his lips and gladly accepted the water. He'd been thirsty all day with no time to get anything to wet his dry throat and nothing fixed that better than fresh, cold water. He tried not to get too excited about it and did his best to abide by the taller man's order. After a moment, he pulled the bottle away from him. A droplet of water ran down his chin and down to his neck.

"I couldn't find any pain relievers and to be honest with you, I don't really feel like going into RED and snaggin' some from my Medic for you. Sorry, mate."

"I don't care. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore anyway." He lied. 

Sure the pain had lightened up, but a new wave of pain rushed over him with every beat of his heart. Nothing that the BLU Medic couldn't tough out. He'd had worst injuries.

"Right. Get some rest. It's nearly two in the mornin' and I want you out of here before six. Before the sun rises. Got it?"

"Ja. I want to get back to BLU asap."

"I want you out of my sight asap. I still can't believe you got me to do this for you."

The Medic shifted himself in the Aussie's bed to sit up better.

"I must have persuaded you with my professional charm." A faint smile curled around his chapped lips.

"Can it, Nurse."

"Obviously I attracted you towards me one way or another."

"Yeah, you did. Nothin' makes me fall head over heels faster for someone more than someone bleedin' to death and pathetically beggin' me to let them live."

The Doctor couldn't help but start laughing. There was something about the way he spoke that made it seem rather endearing and pleasant to him. 

"For a Medic, you don't seem to care about your own well-being. Laughin' like that is going to rip open your wounds again and I ain't suturin' you back up a second time."

He sighed as he finished, another wave of pain falling over him which he did his best to ignore.

"Es tut mir leid... Es Tut Uns Leid... Sorry.. I know you're the enemy and you're trying to keep up the "Lone Wolf" sniper appearance.. But--"

"But what."

"It's cute. You're kind of cute, I admit it. You caught me." The BLU Medic sighed as he was finally able to come down from his laughing fit.

The Australian, on the other hand, had only stared at the BLU. His cheeks flushed up a slight shade of red. He ran a hand through his hair again and stood up to take off the Medic's glasses to set them off to the side and turn off the lights. He sat down at his booth across the other side of the room with a cup of coffee.

"Get some rest, Nurse."

"Help me with returning me to BLU in the morning?"

"That's the whole point of gettin' you up and out of here in four hours."

"Thank you, Herr Sniper."

"Shut up."


	2. Cuts and Bruises

The Medic slept uncomfortably that night. He didn't want to move too much, not wanting to risk opening up the sutures. A couple of hours had passed and the Doctor's only way to make himself feel more at ease was to stare at the ceiling in the dark and let his mind make unusual images out of it. It actually worked for a little while as he allowed the darkness to consume his vision and make images dance and swirl around his mind until he snapped out of it when he heard his temporary caretaker. He turned his head to the side to try and see the Sniper across the room which wasn't too hard seeing as he was by his booth which just so happened to be next to a window with plastic blinds. The moonlight poured through the blinds and down on the table and around the Sniper's figure.

The Australian had one foot kicked up to the other end of the booth and his arms folded in front of himself. His hat and aviators were still nowhere in sight. If he had his prescription glasses on he'd get the opportunity to see him clearer but for now, he'd only try to look at him through fuzzy and unclear eyes. The Doctor himself was still in disbelief that he saved him as much as the Marksman was. He could have killed him right then and there. Gutted him and make him into a taxidermy experiment. Well actually, that would have been an interesting way to go out, the Doctor thought. To have his intestines pulled out and replaced with stuffing and preserved his body to last forever. Kind of an extravagant way now that he was thinking about it. He wasn't even sure if the Sniper was even into taxidermy. It was something he probably expected him to be interested in as a hobby but who knew?

His ears perked up as he heard the Sniper sigh. The Australian shifted in his seat and turned his head to the Doctor, locking his eyes with his. The Doctor may not have been able to see well, but he knew he was staring back right at him. They were staring at each other for what seemed like forever until the Sniper stood up and took a couple long strides towards the German, towering over him easily. He didn't say anything but his eyes stayed on the injured man. Eventually, he knelt down to his level and nonchalantly brushed the Medic's hair back with his hand a couple of times. Naturally, he tensed up as those foreign fingers brushed through his own messy hair. The Doctor went lax as he allowed him to play with his hair, a quiet and soft groan escaping him.

It was one of the few things the Medic liked. Why this man was brushing through his hair, he didn't know but he didn't reject his touch. He wasn't sure when he was going to stop until the Sniper leaned closer to him until his face was next to his.

"I know it's hard to sleep when you ain't feelin' well but you need your rest." He whispered huskily in his ear.

"I don't know when tomorrow's battle starts and even if you do have enough time to heal yourself somethin' proper, you ain't goin' to have enough time to get the rest you need."

The Sniper's hand stopped grooming through his hair but it stayed there.

"And when I see you on that field again wavin' around your bonesaw in one hand and your medigun in the other..." His digits curled around the Doctor's hair, tugging at it to make him face him.

He still couldn't see his face quite clearly but enough to try to make out his facial features. His face seemed soft and relaxed in a unnerving way. He knew he was threatening him which he has every right to but instead, he saw it as something rather charming.

"I'm goin' to take my rifle and aim it right between your eyes and blow your brains and cranial matter out all over your white coat."

"Sounds exciting.. I can't wait to see that happen."

"I don't understand you doctors. Like you can't take a threat seriously or somethin'. You're all creeps in coats and glasses."

"You don't need to stereotype all doctors, Herr Sniper.."

"Shut up and get to sleep. I only came over to.. To.."

"To... What?"

"I don't know. Whenever I couldn't sleep as a joey, my ma would pet my head and it'd help me saw some logs. I just thought it'd do the same for you."

A soft grin formed on the Medic's face as he shifted in the bed again, chuckling lightly.

"You're really something else. If it makes you feel any better, I do feel more relaxed. Danke. Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever."

His grip on his hair loosened as he resumed petting his hair. In return, the Doctor hummed pleasantly and it all went on for a good ten minutes before the Doctor finally fell asleep. The Australian sighed and looked the sleeping figure over. He seemed very peaceful and his face appeared more soft from it's usual stern and hard look. It was obvious this man was older than the Sniper himself. At least by a decade. He took the clean cloth from the nightstand to clean at the other man's face lightly, not wanting to wake him up after putting him to sleep. His face was covered in dried sweat, blood, and dirt and he wanted to get it off from him himself. Sniper was definitely regretting saving this man's life but he's already gotten this far so he might as well just get it out of the way.

He put the used cloth down and and stood back up, looking at him a moment longer before returning to his booth in his usual position. 

"Good thing you're kind of good lookin', Nurse."

xxx

The moon had descended into the horizon and was replaced with the rising sun. The sky had started to turn to pastel shades of blue and that was his cue to get the Medic. He grumbled as he got out from his booth again and strode towards the German, placing a hand on his shoulder to shake him a bit and get him to wake up. 

"Nurse, it's time to bounce. Time to start openin' your peepers."

The Doctor groaned sleepily and yawned, stretching his arms over his head and wincing in pain from stretching too far.

"Is it already that time? I was hoping I could stay longer with you, mein Fruend." He joked.

"You're already a nuisance and we have to jet out of here now. I'll let you get the chance to sit up in a easier position to make more comfortable for you to let me carry you this time." 

"Oh no. You are NOT carrying me like that again. That reminded me of my wedding night thirty years ago except I was the one carrying that thing I called a woman once, not vise versa."

"Wow, can't believe you were married once. What did you do, splice her genes with somethin' else?"

"Well actually, yes. You hit the hammer right on the nail with that one, Herr Sniper."

"I wish I kept my yapper shut."

The Medic sat up and swung his feet over the bed, reaching for his glasses and slipping them on his nose. The Sniper helped him put his shoes back on but that was the most the BLU would allow him to do. His hands curled around the edge of the bed before he forced himself into a stand. He hunched over for a moment as a wave of pain rushed over his form, causing him to wobble and stumble momentarily.

"Easy, easy there Nurse--"

"Will you quit calling me that? I'm not a nurse, I'm a DOCTOR."

"Sorry mate, I just liked the ring of it. I personally think it's a cute pet name for you."

A tinge of red rose to his cheeks but he wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger. The Sniper didn't care. It didn't look like he was going to let him carry him in his arms again so instead, he leaned down and wrapped a hand around the Doctor's, swinging it over his back to help him upright. 

"I don't know if your team has some other sleepin' schedule but I'd be damned if anyone else besides maybe your Solly or Scout were awake right now. If we're as lucky as I hope we are, I'll be able to get you just barely to the front door of your base. After that, I can't help you get any further. You're goin' to have to power through yourself. Y'think you can do that, Nu-- I mean... Doc?"

"I suppose so. If anything, if I can't make it back to my MedBay by myself, I can probably bump into Herr Soldier making his early morning rounds and have him help me the rest of the way."

"Alright, good. Y'ready?"

The Medic inhaled deeply and sighed before nodding. He was as ready as he ever was going to be.

xxx

The whole walk towards BLU was quiet minus the sound of their feet crunching on top of the gravel and short moments where the Medic would be short of breath and breathing just a little harder. 

"We're almost there, Doc. Just hold tight a lil' longer, yeah?"

They were very close. The buildings had started to show up as a barely blue shade with some of the BLU logos plastered on the side. Before they even knew it, they both stood at the entrance gate of BLU.

"This is as far as I go. Get yourself healed somethin' proper."

The Medic pulled himself away from the Sniper and swished his hair back. His other hand reached out for the Aussie's shoulder, gripping it as he locked his eyes with his. He gave him a firm nod and a grin.

"Danke. Thank you for your... Assistance, Herr Sniper."

"Yeah yeah.. Whatever. Keep in mind what I said, Doc."

"Oh, but of course. I'll see you around on the battlefield, mein Fruend."

"Not before I do and hey, we ain't friends so quit referring to me as one."

"If I didn't consider you as a friend, I wouldn't tell you to hurry up and leave now before someone catches us speaking to each other."

"Gee, thanks. I owe you one." Sarcasm intended. "Later, I guess." And with that, the taller man in red turned on his heel as he headed back to his camper, cramming his hands into his pockets.

The Medic watched him as he left for a couple of moments, admiring the way he walked. Since his legs were longer, he took bigger steps but the way he did made it seem like he would trip over himself at any moment. Another thing the Man of Medicine found endearing about the RED. Finally, the Doctor let out a sigh and turned to face the base. He really needed to get back to his MedBay and heal his wounds. He wasn't sure when today's battle was which made him more hurried to heal himself. Medic took a few long steps towards base but by the time he made it to the door, he froze up as he grasped at his unappealing wound and clenched his teeth. 

"Come on, Doctor. You've been through worse. Nothing but a twinge of pain. Just push through. You're only two minutes away from your office, you can do this." He told himself.

He took a moment to compose himself the best he could with his hands still clasped around his sutured wound. The German would take a couple of steps, breathe, and repeat the cycle. Eventually, he made it in front of his office. He knew there was a person or two that were awake because on his way, he heard a few footsteps here and there. Of course, he could have made his trip to his office easier by calling out for help, but he didn't want to risk waking anyone else up and didn't want anyone to see his sutures and ask him what happened. The best option was just to go at it alone. He swung his door open and was immediately greeted by several doves that came swooping down from the rafters above and landing on his shoulders and head. 

Archimedes, the most affectionate of the bunch, nuzzled it's face against the Medic's cheek and cooed softly. The Doctor let out an exasperated chuckle as he continued walking in his office. 

"Ah yes, I've missed you all so much as well! I'm so sorry I was gone longer than expected, meine gefiederten Freunde. As soon as I heal myself, I'll feed you all. You all must be terribly hungry, ja?"

The doves all flapped their wings and cooed louder in response which made the grin on the Doctor's face even wider. He slipped his tethered coat off and tugged his vest and undershirt off, folding them neatly and placing them on his desk. Even though he had no plans on mending them and merely just replacing them, he wanted them in a neat pile. He sat himself atop his examination table and leaned up for the medigun, pulling it down towards him and flipping the switch. A steady beam of blue seeped out of the gun and towards the ugly wound. The Doctor groaned happily as the humming of the gun grew and began the healing process, the sutures falling out of place with each passing second. As the last suture popped out, Medic turned off the medigun with ease and hopped right off of the table. 

He picked up the used sutures and trashed them appropriately before making his way to a cabinet in the back. The Doctor flicked the cabinet open and pulled out what looked like a bag of bird feed.

"It's time to eat!"

xxx

The Sniper opened the door of his camper with a squeak and immediately started to brew some coffee on the stove. He was having a terrible time sleeping lately but he wouldn't let his inability to get much rest affect his working habit. Some coffee and the sounds of piercing screams and bomb shells going off in battle will surely wake him up. He leaned his back against the counter, elbows propped up behind him and a leg wrapped over his other ankle. He wondered when he'd be on that field today. Probably around noon again but who really knew for sure? The Australian groaned tiredly as his eyes wandered about the room until he noticed something bright blue. With his attention now piqued by the color, he walked over to his bed to get a better look at the blue things.

These things were that Medic's latex gloves. One was a little dingy in appearance but probably still usable while the other was absolutely covered in dried blood and a couple of tears. For the hell of it, he put them on over his own hands. Almost immediately, his nose upturned in disgust. The feeling of this tight rubber felt unusual and tight around his own. He could even smell them. The gloves smelled strongly of rubber, earth, and, of course, blood. Although he really disliked the gloves, he had to admit that after wearing them for a couple minutes that they did start to feel a little more comfortable and they made his hands warm. He took them off right in time as he heard the scream of the kettle go off to alert him it was ready. 

He laid the gloves on the counter top and poured the piping hot liquid into his favorite mug that read "#1 Sniper". The smell of his drink was strong and it was kind of thick but that's just the way he liked it. He ran a hand back through his untamed hair as he cautiously took a sip of his coffee. When his hair felt like that, he knew he had to take a shower so that's just what he'd do once he finished his morning coffee and got everything he needed before visiting base to take a fresh, cold shower to clean and wake himself up even more.

xxx

The Medic had showered as soon as he finished feeding his birds and it felt absolutely divine. To get rid of all of that blood, sweat, and grime that was stuck on his body longer than it should have been. Though a nap sounded wonderful, he knew there was some paperwork he had to attend to and he had recently learned the next battle starts at noon today which would be in a couple of hours. He did sleep fairly okay when he was with the enemy Sniper. The Doctor sat down in his chair in front of his desk and began to fill out paperwork all up to the point when he reminisced about his time there. How awful he felt and how much pain he was in only to be saved by his own enemy; patched up with such skilled hands and eased enough to help him sleep.

The Medic's face flushed a brilliant red just at the thought of it. He dropped his pen and brought a hand up to his face as his ears started to burn with embarrassment. He remembered how his digits went through his hair and massaged his scalp. How warm his hand was against his head and how unusually safe he felt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop replaying that memory in his head. Why couldn't he?

XXX

Noon. The sun had fully risen into the sky only an hour or so ago and had returned to heat up the desert with such ferocity. Although it wasn't as hot as it was yesterday, it was still pretty damn hot. Everyone was already dressed in their uniforms and were all still either eating breakfast, prepping themselves up, or tweaking their weapons to the best of their abilities. The Sniper passed by his teammates in a fresh pair of clothes, giving off a vibe that made him seem more approachable. However, the tall, lanky man was not really one for conversations. He enjoys listening to someone talk rather than indulging himself in conversation. If anyone did try to catch his attention, he'd usually wave them off or give them a quick greeting and keep going on with his day.

The most he would talk to was the Engineer since he was more calm and the most easiest to converse with when off the battlefield and a rather pleasant guy to talk to about the little things in life with. They'd sit outside somewhere every once in a while and accompany each other with a couple of beers and talk about their lives back home or what kind of kills they got that day on the field and joke around a bit. The Australian slung his used towel over his shoulder and ruffled his wet hair as he started making his way back to his camper. The shower made him feel very fresh and more awake and that's all he needed to get himself through the day. Surprisingly, his team wasn't as rambunctious as they usually were in the morning and the only reason that may be was either they were still waking up or hungover from celebrating their victory last night.

Hopefully, the RED Medic would do something for them if they were in fact hungover. Why couldn't they wait until the weekend to get smashed? Sometimes, it was hard to understand his own colleagues but it is what it is. Sniper arrived back in his camper and started preparing himself for battle; plopping his hat and shades on, slinging his rifle over his shoulder, equipping his kukri to his waist, and grabbing a couple other essentials to bring with him to his nest today.

xxx

The BLU Medic was the first to be in the Respawn Room as he waited for the rest of his team and the Administrator's cue to let them begin today's battle. The Soldier was second to come in and the German had started his medigun to build up his über. Soon, more of his teammate began trickling in up until the point the Administrator was heard.

"Mission begins in thirty seconds"

Everyone was cheering and pumping up for the day's fight. The Doctor had already forgotten about the enemy Sniper and his mind was more focused on healing his team and the bloodshed he'd experience today.

"Ten seconds"

Her voice began to countdown from five and as she reached one, BLU had piled out of the room quickly towards the fight. The Medic got behind his Heavy to get themselves to push forward quicker. He wasn't going to fail today. The Medic was going to push through with all of his might and get his team to win.

xxx

The RED was setting up to defend their points from the enemy team. Sniper was up in a new nest and had quickly made himself comfortable in it. He made sure each hour he'd change to a different nest so the enemy team wouldn't catch on to where he would be. Not the greatest, but the best strategy he had so far. He stretched his arms over his head and subconsciously crammed his hands into his pockets until he felt something familiar. He pulled it out to reveal that for some reason, he had shoved those tattered, latex gloves in his pockets. What was the purpose of him doing that? It didn't really matter to him as to why he did that as soon as he heard the Administrator's voice. The Australian crammed them back in his pockets, sat down and adjusted the lens of his scope, readying himself for the battle.

As she counted down to one, his eyes were fixed on the scope. He better not see that damn Doctor in blue today.

xxx

Their team was actually pushing. They already secured the first point and they were on their way to capture the second. Today felt like it was going to be a breeze. For the most of it, the Doctor pocketed the Heavy but would occasionally go off to heal someone else when he heard his title yelled out by someone else on his team. How he was able to differentiate their voices from the enemy team was miraculous. After healing whoever needed it, he'd immediately go back to his Heavy and keep pushing. They were doing a really good job today and it only built their confidence more to keep up the good work. They finally reached the second point and began capping with the help of the BLU Demoman who cheered.

Just as the point was completely secured, the Scotsman suddenly fell from where he had been previously standing. He'd been shot clean through his skull and the Medic's first reaction was to try and look as to where it was fired from. The enemy Sniper was in the proximity of this location and those words he left with him the night before reverberated through the back of his mind. His prideful smile had turned to quick concern as he tried to move around to keep himself from being shot. The Heavy started moving around as well and before they knew it, they capped the point. They started to run towards the third but it was too late. The Sniper blew off the Russian's head completely and the Doctor was alone.

The Medic's first reaction should have been to keep running but instead, he clipped his gun to the side of his pack and stood up straight as he guessed which direction the Sniper was hiding in. He held his hand in front of his face and used his index and middle finger to point at his own eyes and back towards the Sniper's as what would appear to be a comedic pout formed on his face as he did so.

The Australian adjusted the scope to zoom on the Medic's face more. He was going to get a clean shot off on him. He did warn the Medic if he ever saw him again, he wouldn't hesitate to blow his brains out but for some reason, he did hesitate. His eyes were focused on the Doctor in blue who's face was up in a pout. His finger was near the trigger but he actually hesitated. What the hell was he doing? He needs to pull it! Instead, he just kept... Staring. How could this man have so much guts to stop in the middle of the field just to make an odd gesture at him? It took the Sniper aback for a moment but he just couldn't find it in himself to kill him. He let him go. He watched as the Doctor pulled out his syringe gun and ran further into battle rather than going back and waiting for a teammate to spawn and show up to hide behind.

Either his man was much more ballsy than he thought or the Sniper really was going soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably make one more chapter to this and that will be the end of it. Once I get this out of the way, I'll start working on the other unfinished ones, I swea r


	3. What Else Did You Expect?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sniper is surprised to be met with an 'unexpected' visitor and is not sure what to think of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is kind of short, but that's because I've got bigger plans and revelations for the next one.
> 
> Yo, I know I'm real slow for updating these. I've been busy with college these past two years and fighting off Dysthymia but hey, what can you do? 
> 
> I actually decided to take a semester off just so I can work on my mentality and healing myself. I want to be motivated to do things again. I'm majoring in English because I WANT to work as an editor for a publishing company one day and I also want to publish my own stories. These fics I write? It's mostly practice work for me that I take great joy in. I look to your guys's feedback and I love hearing what you all have to say to me!
> 
> I'm thankful for you all in helping me build my writing skills and for the nice compliments I get in the comments here sometimes and if you're reading these fics of mine and actually enjoy them, then I want to thank you for supporting me up to this point.
> 
> I'm very appreciative of every single one of you.

What did it mean when the Medic pointed at him like that? Was he coming in to take him down himself? Or was he just telling him he was aware of where he was? The Sniper groaned and rubbed at his face. The battlefield had driveled down to a hush and he needed to get himself to wake up more. He lowered his rifle and poured himself a cup of coffee. What did that Medic think he could accomplish by running further into battle by himself with that silly syringe gun of his?

"What a dunce" The Australian thought.  
As he finished up his coffee, he definitely decided it was time to empty his bladder. He pulled out a clean jar and unbuckled his pants, pulling his length out through his boxers and urinating into the jar. He filled it in just about to the rim of the mason. Finished emptying himself, he sat the warm jar atop his makeshift table and took the time to give himself a few shakes and tucked himself back in. Just as he was going to screw the lid back on and go back to his hunched over position to see if there were any more heads to pop, he heard someone yell.

"Watch out!" Yelled a familiar, accented voice.  
The Sniper grabbed for his kukri and turned around swiftly, swinging that blade of his at whomever was behind him. The knife definitely made contact, but with someone he surprisingly didn't expect to see. The BLU Spy. That kukri of his was jabbed in deeply against the Frenchman's jugular. His eyes bulged from his face like that of a fish and the cigarette he was smoking fell from his lips. With his other hand, the Australian grabbed at the Spy's shoulder to push while he pulled his knife out with the other. All that the Spy could do was grasp at his neck where the knife just was in and choke to death on his own blood. He stumbled back a bit and fell to his knees, glaring up at the Sniper and mumbling something that might have been some kind of insult in his own tongue before he died. Befuddled, the Sniper watched him for a moment before pulling a cloth out and wiping the blood off from his knife. Was it that Spy using... that Medic's voice to catch him by surprise and it just backfired? No way, the Spy wouldn't do that. He's too professional to pull something like that.. Right?

He knelt down and looked the corpse over for a moment and his eyes glanced up to see a pair of familiar, steel-toed boots in the entryway of his nest. His eyes didn't move nor did the rest of his body as he tried to wrap his brain around this situation. That BLU Medic really DID come here, didn't he? Mundy licked his chapped lips and waited for the man of medicine to attack him. But, the attack never came. Instead, the German took a step closer to him with his arms behind his back. Slowly, the Sniper moved his head up slightly to look up at his enemy only to see a gentle, smiling face. The Sniper swallowed hard as he examined the man. He was in much better condition than he was the day before. For someone who was definitely older than him by a decade or two, he was still very handsome. His hair was well-kempt and appeared soft and his eyes were alluring. That smile of his made him feel warm and.. his heart skipped a beat. The Sniper swallowed hard as he moved slowly to a full stand. The Medic watched him and sighed, leaning down a bit and pulling his hat off from his head. Quickly, the Australian put one hand over his head while the other dropped his knife to the floor with a loud 'clang' to grab for his hat back. The Doctor chuckled and took a step back, holding the hat close to him.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doin' here, you old coot?!" The Australian sputtered.  
"Gimmie back my damn hat!"

The German sneered at his RED enemy and slowly turned the hat around by the brim of it, turning his attention to the hat and back to him.  
"You're not that happy to see me?"  
"No, 'course not! Don't you remember my warning last time we spoke?"

The man in blue merely shrugged it off and flipped the hat over in his hand a few times, idly.  
"Yes but..." He trailed off, unsure if he should finish his sentence.  
"Oh, this'll be good. But what?"

Jokingly, he placed the hat atop his own head. The soft smile on his face never faltering.  
"I thought I'd return the favor. You know, for sparing me and helping me live to see another day. So, I thought I'd thank you again personally and nonchalantly warn you about our Spy creeping up on you."

His face softened. Would the enemy really do that for him? For a moment, the RED Australian himself was at a loss for words. The hand that covered his bare head went down to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. And ever so slightly, did his cheeks flush a tinge of red.  
"Why, I... thanks, mate."

The BLU Medic removed the hat off from his head, feeling too silly with it on anyway and placed it back atop the enemy's head. A hand reached out behind him to take that bloodied cloth out from his hand.  
"I don't know if you realized this, but you're getting French blood all over yourself like that."

Soon enough, the Australian huffed and bent down to pick up his knife. While he did so, he realized that the Spy's corpse had already disappeared. In the twinkling of an eye, he'd pop right back out of respawn. He stood right back up and turned around for a moment to place his knife on top of his makeshift table next to his other belongings and sat back down, comfortable with his unexpected company. The Doctor had already made himself comfy, too. He sat on the corner of the crate with a leg crossed over the other and his hands back behind him to support him up. The Sniper sat there a little anxiously, looking to the Medic and back to the field that was still strangely quiet. To occupy himself, the Australian turned himself in his seat more to face the crate. He leaned over and picked up the lid to his jar and screwed it back on as tightly as humanly possibly. Through all of the silence, the Doctor finally broke it.

"Do you... really use those to support yourself in battle?" The German asked, genuinely curious.

Quickly, he stopped touching his Jarate. He felt like as if it would make him appear to be rude for fiddling around with a jar of piss in front of his guest.  
"Well... yeah, it works best when I think there's a Spook around and--" He cut himself off.  
"Now hold on a minute, what are you still doin' here? You got me back and now we're even. You should go back 'n regroup with your team. We ain't friends, remember?" The Sniper threatened, pointing a finger at the BLU.

The Doctor merely appeared to be taken aback for a second and then, he couldn't help but start laughing at him. The Sniper just sat there, confused as all hell as to what he said that his enemy thought was so funny. When the German calmed down, a gloved hand came back to swipe a tear away from the corner of his eye followed by a drawn out sigh.  
"Oh, mein Schütze! You really are a delight to be around." He bellowed, drawing out another breath before quieting his voice.  
"I have to admit... Until yesterday, I was willing to kill and destroy anyone and everyone on /your/ team. Hell, I was even afraid of you when you got closer to me while I was literally dying after battle. I really thought I was going to die. Permanently.  
"But you didn't. You gave me a second chance. And... well, no one has ever given me a second chance for anything before. I greatly appreciate it. I'm actually very thankful."

The Sniper went quiet, as if in thought. Just what was this guy thinking? Treating him as if they were close teammates or even actual friends. It was just a one time thing and though he appreciated them being even now, shouldn't he go back to treating him like the enemy he was? Why is he still here?  
"Look Fritz, you gotta bounce. We can't be friends and you KNOW this. Take your first-aid kit and hit the road." He growled, picking up his rifle and leaning forward once he scoped in on the field below.

The German, as stubborn as he was, did not listen. He merely stayed where he was and remained quiet for a minute or two before sighing. His eyes slowly looked the Sniper over while he let one foot lightly kick in the air.  
"/Why/ do we need to be enemies?" He queried.

Was he serious? Mundy clicked his tongue and shook his head disapprovingly at such an odd question. Disgruntled, he plopped his rifle back down and turned to the Medic. He put his hand in front of him in an irritable manner before he started speaking again.  
"One, we just are. Alright? Two, I'm workin' and you're throwin' me off my game. And three, you're botherin' me. Scram." And with that, he waved him off.

The BLU wasn't so content with that answer. He actually grew to like this particular enemy over the past twenty-four hours. Why, he wasn't exactly sure. It wasn't just the fact that he saved his life. Maybe it was how he spoke to him or treated him that night. Maybe it was his sense of humor or kindness beneath that tough skin of his that drew the German to him. Whatever it was, the BLU couldn't figure it out. Even after repaying him the favor by saving his life in return, he just didn't feel like he was quite done with this man he, for some reason, felt was necessary for him to befriend. No instead, he stayed put. Just as the Sniper was about to say something, he was quickly interrupted by the Administrator's voice booming over the field. "Mission ends in sixty seconds." Hearing her voice always sent an unforgiving chill down the Sharpshooter's spine. Never before has he met a woman as cold as she. Through the corner of his eyes, he glanced to the battlefield. Just as he expected, everyone was pushing to the best of their abilities towards victory. All of them except the two sitting in the Sniper's nest, far off from the roaring battle below. He looked back at the Medic who was still there, softly smiling at him. For someone as unusual and kooky as the enemy Medic, he was actually kind of endearing. The Sniper sighed with exasperation and thought for a moment, hanging his head. "Mission ends in thirty seconds." "Tell you what, Doc. You wanna hang with a RED bloke? You got it." The Mann of Medicine's eyes seemed to light up behind those spectacles of his, smiling a little wider at the enemy with such delight. "However," The Sniper started. "I have one condition: It's gotta be after fightin' hours." That didn't sound like a problem to the BLU. He nodded his head at him approvingly, more than happy to oblige the Sniper. "We can do th--" "AND, it has to be off the field. Imagine what Hel--... The Administrator would do if she saw us together. Y'know she's got cameras in almost ever nook 'n cranny in these buildings. Well, except this ol' shack." "Mission ends in TEN SECONDS." Again, the Doctor nodded his head. He just wanted to, well, know who this man was a bit more. Why, he still didn't know. Maybe just to satiate his ever-growing curiosity. Who knows?

"And where are we meeting up after battle?" The Medic brought up.

"Nine."

"I don't fuckin' know uhh.."

"Eight."

"How 'bout o'er there, close by where I found you yesterday? I know there ain't any cams there either." He suggested, pointing out towards the opening of his window to show the Medic the old buildings.

"Seven."

"Sounds good to me."

"Six."

The Australian scoped back in with his rifle, at least trying to see if he can get one more shot in before calling it a day. "Yeah? I'm glad. Can you keep you yap down now, please?"

"Five."

The Mann of Medicine smiled again and stood up from where he sat, moving towards the door.

"Four."

Hearing the shuffling noise of him getting up, the Sniper lowered his rifle to look where he was. "Mate, where the hell are you goin'?"

"Three."

"Isn't it obvious?" He started.

"Two."

"I'm heading to our meetup place."

"One..!"

All that the man in RED could do was look at him kind of dumbfounded for a moment. 'Silly old man.', he thought. Then, something like a cackle erupted from him. The German watched him laugh, uncertain as to what he said to hit his funny bone. He did tell him to meet him there after battle, didn't he?

"You can be a pain in the ass, I learned that about you already. But, you can be real funny too sometimes, Doc. C'mon, you're already here and fightin' hours are over. Let's go back to my camper for now, yeah?"

The Medic's eyes gleamed as he lightly nodded his head at him.  
"I'd like that." He said softly, waiting for his newfound friend to finish packing up.

"Time's up. RED wins."


End file.
